Spring Practice, FML

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This past week was the first week for spring practice. This is when running workouts are implemented into the total workout. So when we have to do weights already on some days, we have to run on every other day. The running we had to do was pretty hard because we haven’t been running or in shape for the past year, and it just sucked to see that all of us struggling through all these exercises. But once we start rolling, we will be getting into to probably the best shape you could be for football. Before the spring training I started to try to lose weight so that I can be lighter on my feet and that I can have more confidence in myself. In one month, I lost 25 pounds and still feel like I am on the top of the world. Also, I finished pledging so it really did help with my confidence in football and myself solely. I’m pretty happy with where I am right now and the coaches are noticing a big difference of the weight and the way I play. I feel like I am more aggressive and I feel stronger because of the weights that the coaches have let us do. It is pretty insane how much we have changed in less than 4 months and how much we have matured as a team that it gets me excited for next fall, and wish it was already here so I can knock some heads already.

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Isolating Muscles

It was a good week in the weight room. The workouts are becoming more diligent, but I can feel a strong difference in my weight performance. Coach is doing a terrific job of finding ways to isolate specific muscle groups. For instance, we do one lift where we isolate our hamstrings. Being an O-Lineman, it is essential to have strong legs. In doing these workouts, I have been able to increase my squat by 20 pounds. This type of workout has been working all throughout my body. I have lost nearly 19 pounds and can tell a huge difference in my core lifts. When muscles are isolated, it takes pressure of the painful body parts like your back and knees. With this type of working out, our team will be more injury prone and be able to withstand a long and gratuitous season. I am looking forward to the upcoming season and the rest of the off-season. With this weight program, only good things can come for the 2010 season. Above is a picture of me isolating my bicep muscles. This is just a small example of what the off-season program is doing for me as a whole. I am going to be a much more nimble lineman and will be able to stop the speed demons off the edge. I'm positive that this workout is going to make me into a beast on the football field. I'm confident in the coaches and the rest of my football team to have an undefeated season. Go Tigers!

Am I getting stronger?

These past two weeks after I tested, when the coaches are giving us workouts to do, I feel like I am platauing. Plateauing is when your gradually getting stronger and stronger, and at one point you just start to do the same weights and no progress. This is the feeling I'm starting to get and at this point that is really bad. We have the rest of the spring to do weights and if I plataeu now then there is not gonna be any progress until I find a different way to workout. I have hit a bit of a slope with pledging also, but it shouldn't faze me. I understand that the coaches want me to do better as we go along but they know that there will be times where I do stay the same weights for a period of time. But it means that we need our muscles to grow to be able to sustain the heavier weight. I think working out in the morning is easier than working out in the afternoon. Working out in the morning can also start off your day on the right foot, while in the afternoon you just got done with classes etc. etc. Whenever I workout I feel like I am getting better though. I feel like i am making a steady and slow progress but in the end it is still a process. I am trying to make sure that I use the right technique and that I can be able to do as much as i can to the point that I am still getting sore. Because being sore means to tear down your muscle so it can have a chance to build it up again. That is why when you workout you want to drink a protein shake and rest because that will make your muscles be able to grow and grow.

3 weeks in / Testing

How we started offseason was something new to our program. Coaches finally understood that we were willing to earn our ring rather than it given to us. We started with high intensity workouts to work explosiveness in the weight room and on the field. On our second week of the Offseason, we had to max out on weights. This is basically 4 core lifts that you do the most weight that you can. We started on incline bench, where the bench is inclined in a 45 degree arch and basically from there you do bench press, but it is just using a different technique. Our second max the next day was squat press. It is when you place the bar between your neck and your shoulders and squat. When you do squat, you would want to make sure that your butt is somewhat aligned with your thighs. On Thursday, we had bench press which is basically a universal lift throughout the world. And finally, we finished on power clean, which is possibly the most explosive core workout you can have. Here were my maxes for every lift. Incline was 313, squat was 565, bench was 344, and power clean was 245. My goal was to get over 1415 lbs overall because the coaches set a certain weight of 1415 of all 4 lifts to get into a specific group. It was a great accomplishment on my part to achieve that goal as a freshman. But I later found out that I was the only one that made the "maroon" out of my position group. So this is my next goal for the offseason. To make sure that at least 4-6 fellow offensive linemen make it to the maroon because if that happens, then that means that our positions are getting better which means our team is getting better.

Our season starts today.

The football offseason started on Monday, January 18th. Our schedule for this spring’s offseason will be four days a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesday and the weekend are for resting of the muscles so that we can go 100 percent the next time we work out. The coaches don't expect anything less than your best, so if I don't bring my A game, then my group will suffer the consequences. This means that every person in the group is held accountable for everything they do that has anything to do with football. We had a meeting before Monday talking about how we wanted to win the Conference so bad that it deserved to be on our fingers... We know that we will have to sacrifice extra rather than not sacrifice at all. Our goal is to be undefeated next fall, and we have all intention of meeting our goal and pursuing into the playoffs. And it all starts in the offseason. With the workouts that the coaches have inputted into our system, the senior class tells me that the coaches haven't gone this hard ever since they were freshman. Monday and Tuesday of this week was possibly the best workouts I have ever done, and I can feel myself getting better... And to think that there are 60 workouts to go. Our undefeated season of 10-0 starts right now.